The mission of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is:
1
To provide a comprehensive understanding of human nature, the person, marriage, and family faithful to the Catholic tradition and, reciprocally, to explore the implications of this understanding for reality as a whole—all by means of a multidisciplinary education centered in theology and philosophy, and integrated in light of Karol Woytyła/John Paul II’s theological and philosophical work and his notion of man and woman as an embodied, sexually differentiated communion of persons created in the image of God with a given nature and destined for a state of life;
2
To develop a critical understanding of issues on nature, marriage, family, biotechnology, and ethics in light of Western/modern assumptions regarding the human person, as these bear on the nature and dignity of human life and the transcendental meaning of beauty, truth, and goodness, in a way that fosters a unity of theory and pastoral practice at the service of the Church’s mission of “new evangelization” in a post-Christian culture;
3
To offer civilly accredited graduate degree programs (M.T.S. and Ph.D.) and certificates, as well as accredited pontifical degree programs (S.T.L. and S.T.D.);
4
To prepare graduates (laypersons, priests, and religious) for teaching, research, and pastoral work in academic, seminary, or diocesan and parish contexts; for work in legal, medical, and other professional occupations; and for evangelization of the family as the original cell of society in order to build a truly human culture; and
5
To undertake significant research and publication regarding nature, person, marriage, and family, and the implications of the Church’s teachings on these matters for broader problems in theology, philosophy, and culture.